With the help of a generous donor, funds were put in place for the first ever St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Marching Band. Before the arrival of Team 2 in December 2008, details were worked out regarding which instruments, how many instruments, etc. Once there, several of us spent a day in Kampala going from music store to music store looking for the best deals on trumpets and trombones. Our long day ended with the eagerly awaited unloading of the van; everyone went nuts as we pulled out a snare drum, then a set of cymbals, then a bass drum and so on. St. Mary Kevin erupted in joy that afternoon as the children were finally able to envision a band of their own.
Fast forward. When Team 3 arrived a year later, we were welcomed by a rousing rendition of "When the Saints Go Marching In" played by none other than the youthful, hopeful and energetic members of the St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Band. There was Tony on trombone, Nahia on side drum, Oscar and his brothers Willy and Brian on trumpet, Lillian on snare drum, Eddie on bass drum and Claire on cymbals (just to name a few of the twenty or so members of the group.) They blew us away with how good they had become in such a short period of time. We learned that they had actually been hired several times to play at celebrations and parades. They even have a business card.
When I conveyed the joyful news about the band with the donor who had helped make it all happen, there was great satisfaction all around. When I showed her pictures of the tuba and trombone toting kids, however, she decided it wasn't a done deal until there were uniforms involved.
So now there are. She and a couple of her friends made that happen.
While there this past December, we helped select the material and patterns for the first ever uniforms for the first ever marching band at St. Mary Kevin. We now have photos of the kids wearing the finished products, thanks to Carol, who recently paid a visit to the orphanage.
Carol with Claire (who wears this special uniform as "leader of the band")
In Uganda, people use the word "smart" instead of stylin'.
You can bet these young musicians are feeling very smart indeed.
2 comments:
Those kids look so great; what a wonderful thing (as I sit hear in Canada listening to WWOZ streaming on the internet from New Orleans, playing "What a Wonderful World"). I once heard someone say (something makes me think Martin Goldsmith, former host of Performance Today) that if everyone in the world played a musical instrument, there would be no war. I think he's right. So here's to contributing to that effort at SMK! Great job to everyone who has made this marching band possible.
Thanks, Jessica. The thought of everyone in the world making music together is a very cool one. I think I'll take that vision to sleep with me tonight, especially after just watching the 20/20 piece in child sacrifice in Uganda.
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